A race well-prepared, is already half-won! Yes, but how to “prepare for a race”? How to remain calm and maximize your energy?

My experience as athlete coach showed me that only focus on performance and physical progress was far from enough. How many of us have gone totally beside in a competition while they were in good shape?

To maximize his chances, the preparation should, in my opinion, be regarded as a set that includes of course the physical but also, and almost equal importance, the mind.

To focus only on the course, you must first get rid of all the little organizational hassles and adjust to the smallest degree to the tasks at hand. Study the route to get to the start, the registration process, the pre-race menus, a place and a warm-up playlist, is a first step. Making your bag and check it is the second: running clothing, hat, watch, refueling, etc. This seems obvious, but there is nothing more stressful than realizing at the last minute we forgot something important like cycling shoes!

Then, viewing the race has always worked well for me. If you have the opportunity to conduct a reconnaissance of the course, it is even more effective. This is truly to get in the right mental and emotional condition to race and see in thought and feeling each element, each step: passing the difficulties, note the places of refreshment, awareness and descent, places where it speeds up or slows down, difficult terrain, etc. This anticipation allows to leave the least possible room for the unknown. Being the master of the race, would not suffering, it also minimizes energy losses caused by stress.

Finally, mental preparation is for me one of the fundamental aspects of the pre-race. I think that there is no universal method. Good preparation depends on each character. Relaxation therapy and meditation, relatives of visualization, can succeed with overcoming anxiety. Some, more extroverted will instead need to relax, do some running or bike trips to many, to reduce tensions. I am convinced that the coach’s role is fundamental at this stage too. It helps the athlete to prepare, to analyze one’s weaknesses and strengths. He offers methods to manage stress. And from there he built with his mental preparation that suits him.

Running, swimming, and cycling, nothing more natural! Yet to make the most of every movement and therefore build effective training, new technologies have become absolutely indispensable.

Adept cameras that analyze every move both on the bike, then on foot or water running, I spend a lot of time to dissect the videos of my workouts and athlete that I am. The gestures are easier to correct and optimize when you realize exactly where I did it.

Similarly, power sensors have revolutionized training in cycling. In assessing the amount of energy produced, they allow us to better calibrate the effort and make it more effective. Data collected by the power sensors have thus become indispensable to organize trainings, based on efforts and to provide, and to analyze their scope and effectiveness. Today, new technology, particularly interesting products, have appeared on the market and have attracted my attention.

First, the sensor was finally invented to swim right! Let us smile neophytes and imagine that you don’t have to worry about track marks when you go out in open water. An LED attached to your glasses or your cap tells you if you stray from your direction. You can focus only on your movement and your pace. Of course, this little device can also measure your pace and an LED tells you everything about your pace.

The PowerPod power sensor has the feature to set the handlebars. You can imagine the time saved in preparation… It is also distinguished by its precision, since, according to its manufacturer, it is five times more precise than a sensor legs and more accurate than a leg sensor. However, the novelty that really makes noise in the small world of triathlon is undoubtedly the first power sensor for running. Some people question the accuracy of the information collected, but if he keeps his promises, there was a tool that will truly change the coaching.

Finally, the great progress of these new technologies is connectivity. These new tools continuously transmit data to the devices of your choice, your watch, your computer or tablet. As a coach, I could follow in real time the performance of the athlete I train. Each workout is recorded and can react immediately on the result of an output or exercise. Even better, I earn on my computer and my tablet data from several athletes at the same time and therefore debrief with one while the other end a training session, for example.

The technology has already proved to be a real asset for training. However, only a full-scale test, we will assess their true interest. And of course, the data are useful only if they result in an accurate and thorough analysis!

Contact us to incorporate technology and coaching to improve your triathlon ability!